Churches call for urgent humanitarian aid for Aleppo

The UN has warned mass starvation in Aleppo is a real prospect if aid is not allowed in. As the city comes under further bombardment and food is about to run out, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu faith leaders call on the UK Government to act.

The Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church are among those to have issued the following statement to the UK Government

Joint Statement Calling for the Urgent Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to Aleppo

We, UK faith leaders, jointly call on the UK Government to act to support the urgent delivery of aid to those besieged in Aleppo.

In eastern Aleppo, an estimated 250,000 people, including 100,000 children, have been cut off from food and medical supplies since August 2016. The UN warns that there will soon be no food left in the besieged part of the city.

This is an ancient city which has been home to people of many faiths, we pray for all those still in the city and call for action to preserve the lives of the people of Aleppo.

The situation is now desperate, yet the UN is still being prevented from delivering desperately needed aid to the besieged civilians. It seems a very real possibility that the world could stand by whilst 250,000 people are facing starvation.

As faith leaders we bear witness to the suffering of all those in the city of Aleppo. We call on the UK government to take action at an international level, including in the UN General Assembly, and to provide practical support to facilitate the delivery of aid to civilians in the city.

The UK can lead the way in alleviating the terrible suffering of the people of Aleppo, we pray that action is taken to come to their aid.

Signatories:

Muslim Council of Britain, Harun Khan, Secretary Genera

Baptist Union of Great Britain, The Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary

Church of Scotland, The Rev Dr Richard Frazer, Convener of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland

Hindu Council UK, Sanjay Jagatia, Director.

Methodist Church, Revd Dr Roger Walton, President of the Methodist Conference and